LA CLIPPERS: GUARDS: CHRIS PAUL was every bit an MVP-caliber player in his first year in L.A. They should monitor his minutes late in the regular season to keep him fresh for the playoffs. . . His Achilles is on schedule to be healed by December, and CHAUNCEY BILLUPS will start once he's healthy. He's likely to lose athleticism, and his leash could be short if he shoots as poorly as he did last year . . . JAMAL CRAWFORD steps in to lead the second unit. We'll see how quickly his inefficient, shoot-first ways grow stale . . . ERIC BLEDSOE was a stud in the playoffs. He can't play extended minutes alongside Paul, but coach Vinny Del Negro knows he has to get Bledsoe on the floor . . . WILLIE GREEN provides capable depth, but he's on the outside looking in at the rotation. FORWARDS: BLAKE GRIFFIN's knee injury likely isn't serious enough to linger into the season. He's starting to develop some post moves to go along with his dunks . . . CARON BUTLER played hurt for most of last year, but still did enough to nail down a starting job for this season . . . LAMAR ODOM moped his way back to L.A. Don't be surprised if he has a strong bounce-back year, especially considering he'll be the Clippers' best defensive big . . . GRANT HILL could see some starts, but more likely the 40-year-old is pegged for limited minutes . . . MATT BARNES will replace Hill once he injures himself again . . . RONNY TURIAF will provide some of the toughness they lost when Reggie Evans left . . . TREY THOMPKINS will continue to languish on the bench, especially after sitting out the preseason with a knee injury. CENTERS: He can block shots and rebound, but at this point DeANDRE JORDAN is just too much of a defensive liability in space to play 30-plus minutes. That's why the Clippers will often pair Lamar Odom with Blake Griffin in the frontcourt . . . RYAN HOLLINS can also defend the basket and has six fouls to give.

PHOENIX: GUARDS: With Steve Nash gone, GORAN DRAGIC takes over at the point. He was a monster as a starter in Houston late last year, and he's familiar with Phoenix's system from his time there as Nash's backup . . . SHANNON BROWN is one of the league's better sixth men and could end up seeing close to starter minutes this year. Once just a raw athlete, he's made major strides as a shooter and ball-handler . . . KENDALL MARSHALL was a bit of a product of an absurdly talented supporting cast in college at UNC. He's got work to do to become an NBA-caliber starter, but he'll be capable enough as a backup point guard as a rookie . . . SEBASTIAN TELFAIR still can't hit an open jump shot, but will factor into the backcourt rotation. FORWARDS: LUIS SCOLA steps in as the starting four. While he's in his 30's and an underwhelming athlete, he's crafty and relentless . . . JARED DUDLEY will continue to be their main catch-and-shoot threat on the wing. It might take a while to develop an on-court chemistry with Dragic . . . MICHAEL BEASLEY has a chance to grab a starting spot. He rarely has his head on straight, but he can score . . . CHANNING FRYE, the sharp-shooting 7-footer, will likely miss the 2012-13 season due to an enlarged heart, but this condition is expected to completely heal . . . WESLEY JOHNSON gets a fresh start. He needs to start knocking down shots to land a rotation spot . . . MARKIEFF MORRIS showed flashes as a rookie, but has to make better decisions on the offensive end. He'll be a key on the second unit . . . Well-traveled P.J. TUCKER earned himself a roster spot with an impressive Summer League. CENTERS: MARCIN GORTAT had a great year-and-a-half alongside Steve Nash, and he'll have to prove he can create in the low post a little more. But he's a skilled big man who should pair nicely with Luis Scola as a scorer and passer in the post . . . Injury-riddled JERMAINE O'NEAL is still a strong low-post defender and shot-blocker.

The Los Angeles Clippers are unsure if Chris Paul can play in their upcoming games, most of which will take place on the road.

A visit to the Phoenix Suns might help if Paul has to sit out and could aid the Clippers' attempt to avoid a third straight defeat Thursday night.

Paul missed the Clippers' sweep of a three-game road trip last week because of a bruised right kneecap. He tried to play in the next two games but the injury ultimately proved too bothersome.

"There's no timetable right now," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He's just sore ... It's a pain tolerance thing. It's a bruise on your kneecap and you have to be able to run and move and cut and jump and do things and it's going to be sore for a while.

"He's just go to work through it and we'll get him a lot of therapy and when he's ready, he'll be ready."

In a 106-99 loss at Golden State on Monday, Paul had a season-low four points on 1-of-7 shooting and sat out a 109-97 defeat to Oklahoma City the next day. Blake Griffin had a season-high 31 points but the other starters combined for just 28.

Eric Bledsoe had 12 points - on 5-of-16 shooting - and four assists while starting in place of Paul. It might be up to Bledsoe to try to fill his All-Star teammates' big shoes when the Clippers play 10 of their next 11 on the road.

"Chris is the orchestrator. He'll organize everything out there," guard Jamal Crawford said. "There's no way to replace him, but collectively we'll get it together."

The Clippers have had it together in their two matchups with the Suns this season. Los Angeles (32-11) has won those games by a combined 44 points and handed out a 103-77 rout in Phoenix on Dec. 23, snapping a string of 10 consecutive defeats there.

Griffin had 23 points and 11 rebounds in that win and Jamal Crawford chipped in 22 off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting.

The Suns (14-28), the last-place team in the Pacific Division, don't appear poised for their first win over the first-place Clippers this season as they've lost 13 of 16 and a season-high four in a row at home.

Phoenix, though, pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 106-96 victory at Sacramento in its first game under interim coach Lindsey Hunter on Wednesday. Michael Beasley had 13 of his 19 points in the final period, and Luis Scola scored a team-best 21 on 9-of-13 shooting.

"It's been painful," Scola said about the change in coaches. "You don't want it to happen. It's not the coach's fault, it's everyone's fault. We couldn't do it with Alvin, but we're going to try to make this coach successful."

Beasley is averaging 20.2 points on 53.8 percent shooting in 11 all-time games against the Clippers, his best output versus any opponent. With his help, the Suns will try to avoid suffering a fifth straight home loss for the first time since March 2004.

Crawford has topped 20 points in each of his last three games against Phoenix, and Griffin has averaged 23.5 points on 62.1 percent shooting (18 of 29) in this season's two matchups.

The Clippers haven't won three straight over the Suns in a single season since 1995-96.